Hao Zha is a DPhil candidate in Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government. Concerned with the government's role and human future in an era of great uncertainty, he is highly interested in global sustainable development and related policy-making processes, especially in policy learning and policy change during global crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and the AI revolution. Originally from China, He earned his dual Master of Public Policy for SDGs from Tsinghua University and the University of Geneva. He also holds a BEng in Measurement, Control Technology and Instruments and a BA in Economics at Tsinghua.
DPhil topic
Hao's DPhil thesis focuses on policy learning and state-citizen interaction in subnational China. Using the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT) database and mobile signal data, he aims to investigate (1) whether and under what conditions the Chinese subnational governments can transform the information acquired by policy learning into timely policy change; (2) to what extent the targeted and voluntary-based interventions can promote citizen coproduction during public health crises. This study can provide evidence for policymakers to create a learning-friendly environment in multi-level governance, stimulate citizen cooperation by exerting mild interventions, and enhance government adaptability to long-term crises.
